Wind-motor.



4n 0 4, D. e D d e t n e t a DI S. E N U J Ih C. 4. 4` 9 2 6 6 0. N

WI N D M 0 T 0 R.

(Application led Jan. 1B, 1900.'

(No Modal.)

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No. 662,944. Patented Dec'. 4, |900.

C. J. JONES.

WIND MOTOR.

(Application -led Jan. 18. 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2` (No Model-1 Jil, Y

@Ntra rATEs ATENQT Errori.

CHARLES J. JONES, or ToPEKA, KANSAS.

WIND-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,944, dated December4, 1900. Application iiled January 18, 19020. `Serialllo. 1,932. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES J. JONES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, haveinvented a new and useful Wind-Motor, of which the following is aspeciiication.

My invention is an improved wind-motor which is adapted to operate inany position, either vertical, horizontal, or inclined.

One object of my invention is to provide a wind-motor in which the fansare feathered and arranged to be fully exposed to the force of the windon one side of the motor and almost entirely withdrawn from the force ofthe wind on the opposite side thereof, and hence adapted to utilize thepower of the Wind to the maximum extent.

A further objectof my invention is to provide a novel combination andarrangement of devices for automatically releasing the fans from theirrevoluble supporting frame or wheel in a high wind, and thus avoidinjury to the wind-motor.

. With these and other objects in View my invention consists in thepeculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fully setforth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating one embodiment of myinvention, Figurel is a vertical central sectional view of my improvedwind-motor. Fig. 2 is partly a top plan view of the same and partly asection on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical centralsectional view illustrating the opera-l tion of the pressure-vanos,connecting mechanism, and clutch or locking devices for releasing thevanes from their pivotal supports in a dangerously high wind. Fig. 4 isa detail horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4L a of Fig. 3.Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig.4. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view through one of the fans and itspivotal support, showing the compressing-springs to normally lock thefan to its pivotal support. v

The supporting-tower 1 may be of any suitable construction and heightand is provided at its upper side with a centrally-located circulartable or head 2, which is angular in cross-section, as shown in Figs. land 3. Ar-

ranged centrally in the table or head and ex; tending upward therefromis a hollow hub or pivot 3. A revoluble headplate 4 turnson the table orhead and is swiveled thereto, as at 5, and said head-plate is providedon one side with a pair of horizontal arms or ears 6. An annular sleeve7 turns on the hollow spindle 3 and is vertically movable thereon, andsaid sleeve extends through and works in a central openingin thehead-plate 5 and serves thereby to center and retain the latter on thetable or head 2. This sleeve 7 is provided near its upper side with apair of horizontal annular grooves 8 9.

The hub 10 of the lower spider-frame 11 is located centrally in thesleeve 7 and is supported by a ball-bearing 12 upon the upper end of thehub 3, and hence is adapted to rorate independently of said sleeve. Avertical tubular shaft 13 is keyed to the spider-hub l0, extendsdownward therefrom, has its bearing in the center of the hub 3, andturns upon a vertical supporting-shaft 14, said shaft 14E beingnon-revoluble and secured at its lower end firmly on a suitable platform15, with which the tower-frame is provided. The tubular shaft 13 forms apart of the windwheel and turns therewith, and, as shown, is geared to acounter-shaft 16 by miter-gears 17. The said power-shaft is journaled insuitable bearings 18 on the platform and may be provided with acrank-wheel 19 for operating a pump. Any other suitable means may beemployed for conveying power from the shaft 13, and Ido not limitmyselfin this particular.

A series of radial arms 20 project from the spider-hub l0, said arms andsaid spider-hub constituting the lower spider-frame. The upperspider-frame 21 is similarly composed of a hub 22 and a series of radialarms 23. The said hub 22 has its bearing on the vertical shaft 14.

In bearings formed in the outer ends of the spider-arms are journaled aseries of vertical shafts 24, which are capable of vertical movement intheir bearings, and each of the said shafts is provided at its upper endwith a crank 25. The lower ends of said shafts rest upon and said shaftsare supported vertically by a series of levers 26, which are fulcrn medunder the spider-arms 20, as at 26, and the inner ends of said leversengage the groove IOO 8 of the vertically-movable sleeve 7. Said Shafts24 constitute the supports and pivots for the fans 27. Keyed to orformed with the shafts 24 are lock-cams 28, having angular sides, asat29. (See Fig. 6.) As here shown, the said cam-locks form tubularsleeves on the shafts 24, and fans are pivoted on the turn on thesleeves, are disposed nearer to y one side thereof than to theiropposite side,

so that the shafts 24 are out of the centers of said fans, and thelatter present a larger area of surface on one side than on the other ofsaid shafts. The fans 27 are provided with tension-springs 31,'whichengage the angular side's of the lock-cams 28. In the form oftension-springs herein shown the same are supported and adapted to playin yokes 32, which project from one side of the fans, and said springsare secured against endwise movement by angle-plates 33,which are boltedto said fans. Formed with or secured to the upper bearing 30 of each ofthe fans is a clutch member 34, and keyed or otherwise suitably securedto each of the verticallymovable pivotal shafts 24 is a clutch member35, which isadapted to engage the member 34 when the shaft 24 islowered, and thereby lock the fans to the said shaft and adapt them torotate in unison, and which when the shaft 24 is raised disengages saidmember 34, and hence permits the fan to 'turn idly on itssupporting-shaft 24 and to rotate independently thereof.

The cranks 25 of the pivotal supportingshafts 24 are connected togetlienin series around the wind-wheel by the links 36; but other suitablerigid or chain connections may be employed in `lieu of said links.

On the upper portion of the shaft 14 is a tubularshaft 37, which ismounted and adapted to rotate thereon and carries a set-vane 38, whichturns with said tubular shaft and is supported by an arm 39, which ispreferably provided on the end opposite the vane with acounterbalancing-weight 40, which also constitutes a 'pointer toindicate the `directionof the wind. Sprocket-wheels 41 are keyed to thetubular shaft 37 and a-re `connected with` sprocket-wheels 42, keyed ontwo of lthe shafts 24 by means of endless sprocket-chains 43. The saidsprocket-wheels 42 are of 'greater diameter than the said wheels 4l andare so proportioned to the latter as to be caused to turn throughone-half of a revolution while the wind-wheel is making one completeVrevolution, assu ming the wheels 4l to be at rest and not in rotation.

From the foregoing and by reference to Fig.

Y 2 it will be understood that the fans 27 travel the wind and utilizingthe force thereof to rotate the Wind-Wheel at all times When theWind-motor is in operation, as will appear from aninspection of Fig. 2in the drawings, in which the direction of the wind is indicated by thefeathered arrow and the direction of rotation of the wind-wheel isindicated by an unfeathered arrow.

The function of the set-vane 38 is to turn the Wheels 41- when the windchanges, and thereby readjust the fans 27, as will be readilyunderstood, so`as to cause them to feather to the new quarter.

A shaft 44 is horizontally disposed and mounted in bearings 45 in theears or arms 6 of the revoluble head-plate@ and a pair of pressure-vanes46 are secured to and depend from the said shaft. A yoke 47, which is ofthe form shown in Fig. 4, is keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to theshaft 44 and is provided with pins 48, which engage the groove 9 of thevertically-movable sleeve 7. A tripping-lever 49 projects from the frontside of the 'said yoke and is provided with a depending cord 50, whichextends downward nearly to the ground, and the said yoke is furtherprovided with a substantially horizontally disposed extending arm 51,which carries a set-vane 52, the function of which, as will be readilyunderstood, is to rotate the headplate on the turn-table with the windas the latter changes its direction, and thereby always pre- -sent thepressure-Vanes 46 to the win-d.

When the wind is blowing at a moderate rate, the wind-wheel is'caused torotat-e thereby in the manner hereinbefore stated; but in the event thatthe wind should blovs7 with sfuch force as t'o endanger the motor byrevolving the wind-wheel at too high a rate of speed the pressure of thewind on the vanes 46 will cause them to turn from the vertical position(shownfin Fig. l) to the inclined position, (shown in Fig. 3,) hencepartly turning the shaft 44 and causing the yoke v47 to move the sleeve7 downward, and as the groove 8'of said sleeve :is engaged by the levers2,6 the inner rends of said levers are depressed and their outer endsraised, thereby causing said levers to raise the shafts 24 and themembers 35 of the clutches to disengage the clutch members v34 of thefans, hence releasing said fans `from the said shafts 24, when they willinstantly turn in the directionof the wind and present only their edgesto the wind, and thereby not only stop the revolution of the Wind-wheel,but present only the skeleton framew'ork'of `the motor to the wind,andhence avoid 'being injured. The same results may be accomplished at anytime it is desi-red to fstop the motor by drawing Ydown upon the cord50, attach'ed to the lever 49, as 'will be readily understood.

It will beunderstood that when the clutches are disengaged, so that thefans are free to turn on their shafts 24, the latter, together with-'thesprocket-wheels 42 at the upper ends thereof, are supported and theirweight Ven*- IOO IIO

ltirelyl borne by the levers 26. Hence the clutch members 35 willredescend by gravity and engage with the clutch members 34 as soon asthe wind lulls.

The shafts 24 are movable vertically independently of each otherand-descend by gravity into engagement with the fans 27. The weight ofsaid shafts, together With the weight. of the sprocket-wheels andconnections which they carry, is sufficient to insure their operation inengaging the clutch members.

If necessary, weights, such as are indicated at a, Figs. l, 2, and 3,may be placed on the upper ends of shafts 24.

It will be understood that when the fans 27 are disconnected from thevane 38 they are free to Hutter in the wind, and the vane 38 alsoutters, owing to the almost constant variations in the course of thewind, with the result that the clutch members are caused to oscillateconstantly, and upon a decrease in the strength of the wind and theconsequent release of the upward pressure on the shafts 24, owing tothese oscillations of the clutch members, one at least of the fans willbe almost instantly locked to its shaft, owing to the coincidence of theclutch members of said shaft and fan, thereby starting the windwheel inrotation, whereupon the remaining fans will become rengaged and lockedto their respective shafts, as Will be readily understood.

Under ordinary circumstances the tensionsprings and locking-cams whichsecure the fans 26 against independent rotation on the shafts 24 areinoperative; butin the event of any disarrangement of theclutch-releasing mechanism, hereinbefore described, said tension-springs and cams will permit the fans to turn on their pivotal shafts 24 in ahigh wind independently, regardless of the clutch or locking mechanisms,and hence afford additional safeguards against injury by abnormally highwinds. By Weighting the arm 5l of vane 52 in any suitable manner, suchas by hanging a stone thereto or by employing a suitable tension-springmechanism for the shaft 44, such as will be within the scope of anyskilled mechanic, the vanes 46 may be so regulated as to be inoperative,excepting by a wind of any predetermined degree of strength.

While I have shown and described sprocket wheel and chain connectionsbetween the shaft of the set-vane 38 and the crankshafts whichconstitute the pivotal supports for the orbitally-movable fans, I do notlimit myself to the use of such sprocket wheel and chain connections, asother suitable connections may be substituted in lieu thereof, as Willbe readily understood.

An additional function of the cams and tension-springs of the fans is topermit the latter to turn slightly on the shaft 24 in a high wind whenthe motor is being used for heavy work, hence regulating and governingthe rotation of the wind-wheel automatically and securing a uniform rateof speed; I also `purpose to employ such cams and tensionsprings orequivalent devices on the shaft 44 of the pressure-varies and adapt thelatter to be so regulated as to operate in a wind of any desiredpredetermined force.

I do not desire to limit myself to the use of a revoluble support incombination with axially-pivoted members carried by said support andconnected together in series and caused to turn axially in unison andconnections between said members and a relativelyfixed point eccentricto the axis of the revoluble support in a Wind wheel or motor, as thesame combination may be advantageously used for propulsion and otherpurposes.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. The fan, having thepivotal support,with angular sides, in combination with compressing-springs turning with said vane and bearing on said angular sides,substantially as described.

2. In a wind-motor, a series of orbitallymovable fans, pivotal supportstherefor, connected together in series and adapted to move saidorbitally-movable supports and the pressure-vanes, for the purpose setforth and a frame to maintain the parts in their operative relationshipto each other, substantially as described.

4. The combination, of a series of orbitallymovable fans, supportstherefor, connected together in series and adapted to move in unison,means to lock said fans to said supports, a pressure-vane, a revolublesupport to which said pressure-vane is pivoted, and having a set-vane,and operating connections between said orbitally-movable supports andthe pressure-varies, for the purpose set forth and a frame to maintainthe parts in their operative relationship to each other, substantiallyas described.

The combination, in a Wind-motor, of a revoluble supporting-frame, aset-vane pivoted centrally with relation to the said supporting-frame,but revoluble independently thereof, a series of fans revoluble onsupports carried by the revoluble supporting-frame, said series of fansbeing connected together and caused` to turn axially in unison,connections between the set-vane and said series of IOO IIO

fans, 'to set the latter When said set-'vane In testimonythat fIclaimtheforegoing as turns, locks `to ysecure the fans tother supmy ownI have hereto affixed my signature in ponts, a pressure-Vaneand'operative connecthe presence of two Witnesses.

tions, actuated by the pressure-Vane, tofu'n- CHARLES JuJONfES. 5lockthefa'ns from their supports and renderk `Witnesses:

them free to turn independently thereof Sub- J. W. GARNER,

stantially'as described. J. ROSS COLHOUN.

